1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to technology of a printer and a print system including such a printer, and particularly to technology of controlling print jobs accumulated within the printer.
2. Description of the Related Art
In addition to the ordinary printing function, there are printers comprising a so-called finishing function for binding printed paper. This printer comprising the finishing function sends the paper printed with the print engine to the finishing processing mechanism and, after the finishing processing mechanism binds such paper with a the likes of a staple to obtain a bound document, outputs such document. Thereby, the user is able to obtain a bound document merely by giving printing instructions, including finishing, from the application program, and automate the stapling procedure or the like.
Meanwhile, the user properly uses application software appropriate for the intended usage. Particularly, in recent years, there are demands for preparing documents superior in attractiveness. For example, graphic software superior in processing graphic data is used for the front page, and word processor software is used for the text. Users are properly using dedicated software suitable for the intended usage.
Nevertheless, with the printer comprising the aforementioned conventional finishing function, it was not possible to bind a plurality of documents to make a single bound document since the finishing processing is designated per document. Thus, for example, when respectively preparing the front cover and text with separate application software, ultimately, the user had to manually bind the front cover and text after they were printed based on the respective application data.
The gist of the present invention is to enable the control of jobs previously input to the printer. This invention therefore controls previously input jobs by inputting new jobs to the printer. In addition, this invention controls previously input jobs by accepting job control-related operations from a user. The printer is thereby able to unify the plurality of previously input jobs and perform finishing processing to printed matter as necessary.
That is, the printer according to the present invention stores print data in a prescribed storage device based on the first print job data sent from a host device. This printer reads print data stored in the prescribed storage device in accordance with the second print job data sent from the host device and executes printing on a print recording medium.
The printer stores the generated print data in a prescribed storage device upon associating it with prescribed ID information. The printer reads specific print data among the stored print data in accordance with prescribed ID information contained in the second print job data. Generally, print data is image data in a raster format forming one page worth of the print recording medium, and prescribed ID information is associated with print data in page units.
The printer performs finishing processing based on prescribed bookbinding information when the second print job data contains prescribed bookbinding information related to finishing processing. This finishing processing, for example, may be stapling processing using staples or hole-punching processing using a punch.
The printer generates simplified data based on the print data, associates the ID information with the generated simplified data, and sends the simplified data associated with the ID information as job management data to the host device.
The host device according to the present invention stores job management data sent from the printer, displays simplified data containing the job management data, accepts interactive operations from the user, edits the ID information contained in the job management data, generates print job data containing the ID information in accordance with the editing results, and outputs this to the printer.
The printer according to the present invention stores print job data and associated information related to such print job data sent from the host device in a prescribed storage device. The printer displays the associated information on a prescribed display device, urges the user for instructions on the print job data, reads the print job data stored in the prescribed storage device in accordance with the instructions input by the user, and executes printing on a print recording medium.
The printer storing a plurality of print job data accepts designations from the user on print job data to be printed, and the printer thereby reads the designated print job data and executes printing. When the printer accepts designations from the user on print job data to be printed in a specific order, the printer reads the print job data in the designated order of printing and executes printing.
When the printer accepts instructions on finishing processing for at least two or more designated print data in its entirety, the printer performs finishing processing to the overall print data. Here, the printer serially adds page numbers to the aforementioned at least two or more designated print data in its entirety based on the instructions of such finishing processing.
In place of the setting information provided to the respective print job data, the printer executes printing based on the print job data in accordance with the newly accepted instructions from the user via the display device.
Furthermore, the term xe2x80x9cmeansxe2x80x9d used in this specification is not limited to merely a physical means, but also includes cases where the functions of such means are realized by software. Moreover, functions of a single means may be realized by two or more physical means, and functions of two or more means may be realized by a single physical means.